Payroll: getting started

The whole picture

Steps 1 to 3 are done once. Step 4 is done once per person. Steps 5 and 6 are every payroll, and everything after that happens automatically.

Find everything under Payroll in the left menu of your portal: Organization, Employees & Contractors, Hours & Pay, Approve & Pay, Reports and What's next.

Have this ready

Company setup takes about 15 minutes if you have these on hand. You enter them on a secure page; Tourney Direct never stores them.

Set up your organization

Payroll → Organization

1. Choose who you pay. The first question is "Who will you pay?" Pick 1099 contractors, W-2 employees or Both. This tailors the rest of setup: contractors need far less than employees. You can change it later with Change.
2. Have more than one EIN? If your organization pays people from more than one business (for example separate clubs), click + Add an EIN at the top of the page and name it. Each EIN is set up on its own, with its own bank. Use the EIN dropdown at the top to switch between them. If you only have one EIN, skip this.
3. Answer one question. "Did this EIN pay anyone through another payroll provider earlier this year?" If the answer is No, setup skips the step for bringing over earlier payroll history. If you pay only 1099 contractors, your company is also set up for contractors only, which keeps setup short.
4. Company setup. Click Start under 1. Company setup. A secure page opens inside your portal where you enter your business details, owner details, agreements, bank account and any requested documents. If a step won't move forward (like the ID or bank step), use Open in a new tab. You can close it and come back; it picks up where you left off.
5. Confirm your bank deposits. Two small deposits land in your bank account within 1 to 3 business days. When they arrive, click Confirm bank deposits and enter the amounts. You don't need to wait for this to keep going: add your people and enter pay in the meantime.
6. W-2 employers only. Three more steps appear if you pay employees: Add a work location (each place your staff work), Taxes (Set up federal taxes and Set up state taxes), and Set pay schedule (weekly, every two weeks, twice a month, or monthly). 1099-only organizations skip all three.
7. Name your approvers. Under Approvers, enter a primary approver's name and email, and a backup if you like. Click Save approvers. Once approvers are saved, only those people can approve a payroll, and either one can do it. The person who approves is recorded with each run.

Watch the Payments card

The Payments card at the top of the Organization page tells you when you can pay, and exactly what's left if you can't yet. With more than one EIN, each has its own card.

Add your people and send their links

Payroll → Employees & Contractors

1. Add people. Click Add people and choose one of three ways:

   • Sync from staff directory: brings in everyone in your Staff Directory.
   • Upload a spreadsheet: click Download the template for the columns: First Name, Last Name, Email, Mobile Phone, Work State, Type (W-2 or 1099). People are matched by email, so re-uploading updates them instead of creating duplicates.
   • Add one at a time: first name, last name, email, mobile phone, work state, and W-2 or 1099.

   If you have more than one EIN, pick the EIN at the top of the page before you upload, and everyone in the file is assigned to it.
2. Check each person's details. Use the W-2 / 1099 toggle on each row. You decide each person's classification; the page links to a 5-question tool if you're unsure. With more than one EIN, set Paid by on each row. Make sure every person has a mobile number and a work state.
3. Send their onboarding link. Click Send link on a row, or Send links to all pending to text everyone who isn't finished. Teddy texts each person a secure link. They don't log in anywhere or create a password.
4. Watch them finish. Each row shows their progress, such as "2 of 3." When they're done, it shows Good to go. If someone doesn't finish, Teddy texts them a reminder with a fresh link 24, 48 and 60 hours after their link was sent. Use Filter by: Pending to see who still needs to finish, and Resend link to send a new link yourself (this restarts their reminders).

Enter pay, then approve

Step 1 · Enter pay

Payroll → Hours & Pay

1. Set each person's rate. Pick Per hour or Flat and enter the rate.
2. Enter Qty for this period. For hourly people, Qty is their hours. For flat-rate people, Qty is how many times to pay the flat amount (1 = once). Tab out of the field to save, and Gross fills in automatically. Anyone with no Qty this period isn't paid.
3. Shortcuts. Copy last period fills in last period's quantities as a starting point, so you only adjust what changed. Upload CSV imports a spreadsheet: click Download the CSV template for the columns (Staff name, Email, Hours). People are matched by email, or by name if there's no email, and anyone who doesn't match is listed for you instead of imported.

Step 2 · Approve and pay

Payroll → Approve & Pay · approvers only

1. Check the period. The banner at the top shows which period you're paying, for example "Paying September 2026." If the period has just ended and your hours were entered in it, the page shows that period automatically.
2. Review who's being paid. Everyone with an amount shows as Ready or Held, with the reason it's held. Only people marked Ready are paid.
3. Leave the pay date empty. It automatically uses the earliest available date, which is about three business days out. Direct deposit needs that lead time, so same-day or next-day pay dates aren't available. You can pick a later weekday if you prefer.
4. Click Approve and pay, then confirm. You'll see "Payroll submitted for 3 people, $540.00" and the pay date, and each person is marked Scheduled. Teddy texts each of them right away that their pay is on its way.

What happens after you approve

You don't have to do anything for this part.

Paying contractors in New York or Connecticut? Those states' contractor new-hire reports aren't filed automatically yet. Contact us and we'll help.

Reports and statements

Payroll → Reports

Payroll history lists every payroll you've approved, with its pay date, total, and status (Scheduled until the pay date, then Paid). Click Statement for a printable record of that payroll, including your Tourney Direct service fees, or CSV for a spreadsheet. Totals by person shows what each person has been paid this year, which is what appears on contractors' 1099-NECs. Year-end tax forms lets you view and download W-2s and 1099-NECs once they're issued.

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